Ducks pour it on against injury-ravaged Red Wings

The Ducks' Teemu Selanne upends Red Wings goalie Jonas Gustavsson in the first period Tuesday. No penalty was called on the play. JULIAN H. GONZALEZ, MCT

DETROIT – Nothing that would happen Tuesday night was going to completely rid the Ducks of the bitter taste left from last spring.

A rare rout of the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena would go down smoothly in the meantime.

Jakob Silfverberg scored in his return from a nearly two-month absence and the Ducks scored three more times in the first period on the way to a 5-2 pasting of the Red Wings for their sixth straight win.

The Ducks (24-7-5) largely downplayed their first matchup with Detroit since their Game 7 no-show in a surprising first-round exit back in May. This one was a no-contest in their direction after the first few minutes.

“I don’t know if it was an important win considering last spring,” said goalie Jonas Hiller, who made 16 saves. “It was an important game to start this road trip off on the right foot.”

Tomas Jurco’s first NHL goal gave injury-plagued Detroit an early lift, but that dissipated in just 25 seconds. Silfverberg, who missed 24 games because of a broken hand, jumped on a deflected shot by Francois Beauchemin and scored his first goal since Oct. 10.

The goal triggered an outburst as Nick Bonino converted in front for a 2-1 lead and Corey Perry followed with his 22nd goal and ninth in his last nine games. Detroit coach Mike Babcock pulled Jonas Gustavsson after three goals allowed on 11 shots.

Ducks defenseman Sami Vatanen greeted backup Petr Mrazek with a blistering slap shot that sailed by him with 1.1 seconds left in the period for a 4-1 lead.

“It doesn’t happen too often,” Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said. “And they always play good defensively. You score four on these guys any time, I think it’s a real bonus.”

Saku Koivu added a second-period score as the Ducks took care of business against a team that was without eight regulars, most notably captain Henrik Zetterberg, top goalie Jimmy Howard, winger Johan Franzen and defenseman Danny DeKeyser.

The Red Wings (15-12-9) have lost five straight at home and are just 5-9-6 in their venerable, once-imposing arena.

“We were playing against a little bit of a depleted lineup over there,” Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf said. “It was our job to come out and make sure that we played.”

The Ducks' Teemu Selanne upends Red Wings goalie Jonas Gustavsson in the first period Tuesday. No penalty was called on the play. JULIAN H. GONZALEZ, MCT
The Red Wings' Kyle Quincey watches as goalie Jonas Gustavsson gives up a goal in the first period to the Ducks on Tuesday. JULIAN H. GONZALEZ, MCT
Ducks left wing Jakob Silfverberg celebrates after scoring a goal is his first game after missing nearly two months with a broken hand. CARLOS OSORIO, AP
Red Wings goalie Jonas Gustavsson deflects a shot by Ducks left wing Dustin Penner during the first period. CARLOS OSORIO, AP
The Ducks' Corey Perry scores on Red Wings goalie Jonas Gustavsson in the first period. JULIAN H. GONZALEZ, MCT
With the help of right wing Corey Perry, Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller deflects a shot by Red Wings right wing Daniel Cleary during the second period. CARLOS OSORIO, AP
Ducks right wing Corey Perry, defended by Red Wings defenseman Jakub Kindl, shoots and scores on Detroit goalie Jonas Gustavsson during the first period. CARLOS OSORIO, AP
Red Wings goalie Jonas Gustavsson towels down on the bench after he was taken out of the game after giving up three first-period goals to the Ducks. JULIAN H. GONZALEZ, MCT
Red Wings right wing Todd Bertuzzi is stopped by Ducks defenseman Sami Vatanen during the second period. CARLOS OSORIO, AP
The Red Wings' Joakim Andersson is checked into the Ducks bench by Matt Beleskey in the first period. JULIAN H. GONZALEZ, MCT
Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf is helped off the ice after being boarded by Red Wings defenseman Kyle Quincey during the first period. CARLOS OSORIO, AP

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